Environmental approval for ‘polluting’ project

Nes Municipality has received environmental approval for using stone drilled in the Eysturoyartunnilin undersea tunnel project to extend the sea wall at the port of Toftir.

The approval comes despite a substantial risk of plastic pollution as the stone contains plastic from the explosives cables used in the drilling of the tunnel.

Umhvørvisstovan (the Environment Agency) is not authorised to terminate this type of project, but the agency insists that it will gradually increase the demands for clearing up.

“The Environment Agency can at any time demand information to ensure that the terms and conditions of the approval are being adhered to,” says Ingvard Fjallstein, environment officer at the Environment Agency.

“It is essentially wrong to drop all this stone into the water. But the DKK 1 billion Eysturoyartunnilin project is well underway now, and it was planned from the start that the drilled stone was going to be used for purposes such as this one.”

Faroese environmental law does not require environmental approval for projects of this type. The law appendix lists certain exceptions in which the Environmental Agency can impose demands. As the agency has vowed to gradually increase its environmental demands for this project, it has been agreed that the potential pollution will be kept under control. The mayor of Nes Municipality said earlier today that the council will do all it can to minimise plastic pollution.

Translated by prosa.fo